NEWS EXTRA

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SOURCE:  Office of Senator Mitch McConnell

Senator McConnell Applauds Governor Bevin’s Decision to Seek Extension on EPA Regulation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented today regarding Governor Matt Bevin’s request for a 2-year extension to the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation that requires states to dramatically restructure their electricity systems based on how the agency thinks electricity should be produced and used in each state.

“I applaud Governor Bevin for filing an extension and refusing to submit a plan until the legal challenges are addressed,” Senator McConnell said. “He made the right decision to not saddle Kentucky with a Obama administration plan that is likely illegal and extremely detrimental to Kentucky’s economy.”

BACKGROUND: In 2015, Senator McConnell wrote the Nation’s Governors calling on them to reject the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed regulation that requires states to dramatically restructure their electricity systems based on how the agency thinks electricity should be produced and used in each state. Senator McConnell asked the Governors to “carefully review the consequences before signing up for this deeply misguided plan.

Senator McConnell wrote: “This proposed plan is already on shaky legal grounds, will be extremely burdensome and costly, and will not seriously address the global environmental concerns that are frequently raised to justify it. Moreover, declining to go along with the administration’s legally dubious plan will give the other two branches of government time to address the proposal and will not put your state at risk in the interim. It will provide time for the courts to rule on whether the EPA’s proposed rule is legal, and it will give Congress a chance to address numerous concerns surrounding this latest power grab by the EPA.”

Senator Mitch McConnel (R-KY) photographed at the Capitol on December 2, 2008. Photograph by Karen Ballard

McConnell, Paul, Lee, & Booker Sponsor Bill to Bring Accountability to Federal Prisons

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), announced today the introduction of the bipartisan Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2016.

Currently, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has significant budget authority over taxpayer dollars without their appointment having been subject to confirmation by the United States Senate.  Unlike most Department of Justice (DOJ) administrators and directors, the Director of BOP is appointed by the U.S. Attorney General without Senate approval.  The Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2016 would require the Director to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The legislation would also designate that any newly confirmed Director will have one, 10-year term at the helm of the BOP.

The BOP Director supervises workers at federal prisons across the country who protect the public under hazardous conditions at correctional facilities on a daily basis. This legislation would support subjecting the Director to the same congressional review as other top law enforcement agency chiefs within DOJ. By doing this, it would ensure greater responsiveness by the agency to the safety needs of its nearly 40,000 dedicated federal corrections employees.

“Kentucky corrections officers have repeatedly called for the BOP to take additional steps to mitigate risks to officer safety from violent inmates,” Senator McConnell said. “The legislation I introduced today with Senators Paul, Lee, and Booker will bring some much-needed accountability and transparency to the BOP, which is important for all agencies within the Department of Justice, and will help protect federal corrections officers in Kentucky and across the nation.”

“No agency as large as the Bureau of Prisons should have so little accountability. Our bill will ensure the concerns of those who work in the prisons are heard and acted upon. It will also ensure the small businesses affected by competition from the bureau have their voices heard,” Senator Paul said.

“There is no good reason that the director of the Bureau of Prisons, nearly alone among all Department of Justice administrators and directors, is not subject to Senate confirmation,” Senator Lee said. “The number of inmates under the Bureau’s jurisdiction increased nearly eight-fold between 1980 and 2014, and its budget increased from 330 million dollars to 6.859 billion dollars over the same period.  Rigorous congressional oversight and scrutiny is necessary, and this bill is a step in the right direction.”

“The Bureau of Prisons oversees one-quarter of the Department of Justice’s annual budget,” Senator Booker said. “Requiring presidential appointment and Senate confirmation for the BOP Director will increase transparency and accountability at a large federal agency that impacts the lives, futures, and rehabilitation of thousands of people.”

SOURCE:  BLACKNEWS.COM
HOWARD UNIVERSITY ALUMNI CLUB OF ATLANTA TO HOLD ANNUAL CHARTER DAY DINNER

Atlanta, GA — The Howard University Alumni Club of Atlanta (HUACA) will hold its annual Charter Day Dinner on Friday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the prestigious Commerce Club. The event will commemorate the university’s 149th Charter Day Observation and serves as HUACAs primary scholarship fundraiser for Howard students. The theme for this years gala is United in our Legacy of Excellence, Truth, and Service.

Wayne Frederick, President of Howard University. Photo Courtesy: Blacknews.com

The dinner will feature Howard University President, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick as the keynote speaker. President, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick’s appearance underscores his commitment to engaging Howard University alumni and the broader communities in which we live, says Karen Shropshire, HUACA president.

Howard stands alone as the only HBCU to have three graduates serve as mayor of one of the nations largest cities. To celebrate this outstanding achievement, Atlanta Mayors Kasim Reed, Andrew Young and Shirley Franklin have been invited.

Entertainment will be provided by Grammy award-winning jazz saxophonist, Mike Phillips. Phillips has graced the stage with such notable talents as Stevie Wonder, Prince, Babyface, and scores of other leading entertainers.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. In return for their support, sponsors will receive an array benefits, including media impressions, VIP and dinner tickets, and more. For additional information, potential sponsors are encouraged to contact Ms. Cheryl Gill Riley at (770) 363-6656 or cgriley@charter.net.

The Commerce Club is located at 191 Peachtree Street, NE. The VIP reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and live entertainment at 7:30 p.m. VIP tickets are $200.00 per person and dinner tickets are $150.00 per person.

Howard University, located in Washington, D.C. was chartered on March 3, 1867. Long-considered the capstone of Black higher education, the university has graduated many of the nations most prominent African-Americans across a broad spectrum of professional and academic disciplines.

SOURCE:  BLACKNEWS.COM

Angela Talton, Nielsen, Chief Diversity Officer. Photo Courtesy: Blacknews.com

NIELSEN PROMOTES ANGELA TALTON TO CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER

New York, NY — Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) announced that Angela Talton has been promoted to Chief Diversity Officer reporting to Chief Executive Officer Mitch Barns.Diversity and inclusion are crucial to our growth, strength, and ability to innovate. Angelas vision, leadership and execution have helped us reimagine diversity at a global scale, said Barns. As Nielsens Chief Diversity Officer, she will be a vital part of my leadership team and a champion for our companywide investments to ensure our business is representative of the communities where we live and work.

Prior to this appointment, Talton served as Senior Vice President, Global Diversity and Inclusion, and she will continue to oversee Nielsens diversity and inclusion programs including supplier diversity, training and employee engagement. Talton has been with Nielsen since 2007, joining the company as Senior Vice President for Global Call Center Operations. Prior to joining Nielsen, she held the positions of Divisional Vice President at Sears Holdings Corporation and Vice President, Business Processes at ALLTEL Communications.

Talton holds a BS in Business Administration from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Talton succeeds Dr. D. Sangeeta who has accepted the new role of Global Client Operations Leader overseeing all regional and client-related operations and deployment.

About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers watch and buy. Nielsen’s Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services for all devices on which content – video, audio and text – is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry’s only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen also provides its clients with analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90% of the world’s population.